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Cody on Goldberg-AEW Rumor; Brian Myers Rips Vince McMahon; Bischoff Talks Leaks
August 19, 2020
Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
Cody Shoots Down Goldberg-AEW Rumor
AEW Executive Vice President Cody has denied a rumor that AEW spoke with Bill Goldberg about bringing him in before he re-signed with WWE.
Per Cassidy Haynes of BodySlam.net, Jim Cornette said on his Jim Cornette Experience podcast that Goldberg was "huge" on AEW President Tony Khan's want list because Khan wanted to replicate the winning streak storyline Goldberg did in WCW in the 1990s.
In response to a fan tweeting about it, Cody said AEW never contacted Goldberg:
Perhaps Cody is being truthful, but there is no question that AEW has shown interest in former WWE Superstars and wrestling legends in general.
As far as legends go, AEW has brought in the likes of Arn Anderson, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Tully Blanchard and Taz in managerial roles. Billy Gunn and Diamond Dallas Page also have some involvement in the company.
In terms of active wrestlers, Chris Jericho is a 49-year-old veteran who primarily made his name in WWE and WCW, much like the 53-year-old Goldberg did.
Perhaps sensing that AEW had Goldberg on its radar, WWE used Goldberg in two matches last year and two matches this year. He lost to The Undertaker at Super Showdown 2019 and then beat Dolph Ziggler at SummerSlam 2019 before beating "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt for the Universal title at Super Showdown 2020 and then dropping it to Braun Strowman at WrestleMania 36.
During a recent appearance on The Pop Culture Show, Goldberg revealed that he is under contract with WWE for two more years and is scheduled to wrestle two matches per year.
That means there is no chance of Goldberg showing up in AEW any time soon, but perhaps that could change in 2022 when his WWE contract expires.
Myers Shoots on McMahon on Impact
Brian Myers, who worked in WWE as Curt Hawkins before his release in April, referenced his time in WWE during a promo on this week's Impact Wrestling.
As seen in the following video, Myers didn't hold back when it came to his thoughts on WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and his release from WWE:
"You've known me a while. Haven't I always played by the rules? Done everything I've been told? Listen to the veterans? Well, where did it get me in this business? Fired! With a wife that's six months pregnant sitting at home.
"I'm so sick of being referred to as somebody's 'good hand.' It disgusts me that major decisions in this business are being made by some out of touch 70-year-old man in some goofy production meeting. Not anymore. I'm taking my career and this business into my hands. You, and all of Impact Wrestling have been put on warning. I am the most professional wrestler, Brian Myers."
Myers has quickly made his presence felt since joining Impact, as he even challenged Eddie Edwards for the Impact Wrestling World Championship on a recent episode. Although he fell short, he pushed Edwards to the limit and showed that he could be a big-time player in the company.
During his time in WWE, Myers was best known for teaming with Zack Ryder, who now goes by Matt Cardona in AEW. Myers and Cardona were tag team champions together on two occasions in WWE, and they won the Raw Tag Team Championships from The Revival at WrestleMania 35 last year.
Myers never got much of an opportunity to prove his worth as a singles competitor in WWE, but that appears to be changing in Impact.
Bischoff Talks AEW Appearance Leaking
Former WCW and WWE executive Eric Bischoff, who made a surprise appearance AEW Dynamite a couple of weeks ago, discussed his thoughts on news of his appearance leaking beforehand.
On his podcast 83 Weeks (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), Bischoff gave the following take:
"You have fans that are reading things that haven't even happened yet and determining how they feel about it. When I showed up in AEW a couple weeks ago, some fan, I hate to call him a fan cause you're not really a fan of the business when you do this type of thing because you're actually hurting the business.
"It didn't hurt me at all, but it hurt AEW. How much, how little? I don't know, but it's not healthy. Anybody that's a real fan of wrestling should probably forgive or understand why any promoter would do anything in their power to maintain the integrity of things that they felt were best for business, if they were kept secret."
AEW advertised a mystery moderator for a debate between Jericho and Orange Cassidy. Some viewers knew ahead of time that Bischoff was the mystery moderator, however, since some spoilers were published online beforehand.
Even so, Bischoff played his role well, and his appearance on Dynamite was a big deal because of his previous ties to WCW and WWE.
Spoilers have been a big issue in wrestling in recent years and have made it difficult for wrestling promotions to surprise their fans.
They weren't as prevalent in recent months with fans not being able to attend television tapings amid the coronavirus pandemic, but with AEW now allowing a limited amount of fans in the stands, it could continue to be a problem moving forward.
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